Chris Holtmann Officially Named Coach of the Year Candidate

Holtmann is in his fourth year leading the Buckeyes and is one of 15 coaches around the country being considered for the award.

Author:
Brendan Gulick
Feb 19, 2021 12:17 PM EST

Chris Holtmann has taken a team that was a preseason pick to finish seventh in the Big Ten and turned them into a Top-5 team in the country. After beating Penn State on Thursday night, the Buckeyes have won seven games in a row, and 10 of their last 11, as they prepare for their toughest test yet with Michigan coming to town on Sunday.

But with the regular season winding down, Holtmann and the Buckeyes learned that he's been included among 15 of the best coaches in college basketball this year to be considered for the 2021 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year. The Atlanta Tipoff Club made this announcement on Friday afternoon.

Holtmann is in his fourth season at Ohio State and has already earned Big Ten Coach of the Year back in 2018. He's taken the Buckeyes to two NCAA Tournament's in his first three years, before a shot at a third trip was stripped from them with the cancellation of the 2020 March Madness tournament.

Holtmann's best player this year has been sophomore forward E.J. Liddell, who was also recognized by the Atlanta Tipoff Club earlier this month. Liddell was named to the 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Midseason Team for Men’s Player of the Year last week.

Whether or not Holtmann wins the award is probably still up in the air, but he'll have several more chances to make a good impression with the schedule Ohio State still has to play. Three of the last four games in the regular season are against No. 3 Michigan, No. 11 Iowa and No. 5 Illinois.

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